N789EPCessna 172S · 1999

The pilot reported that, during short final at night, he reduced power to idle and the airplane descended rapidly and landed hard in a flat attitude. He added that, after touchdown the airplane bounced, and he applied full power to go around. He entered the traffic pattern and then landed without further incident.

Postaccident examination three days later revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The student pilot stated she was completing her first solo cross-country flight. She set up for runway 34 and entered the final approach at an airspeed of 70 knots. She landed the airplane on its main landing gear but it bounced. She then decreased the pitch of the airplane's nose, resulting in the nose wheel touching down independently of the main landing gear. The airplane's nose wheel strut broke loose from its attachments and was driven into the engine compartment, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. She was able to keep the airplane on the runway during the entire landing sequence and roll. She taxied the airplane off of the runway and did not report any mechanical anomalies with the aircraft. Weather conditions recorded at the airport about the time of the accident included winds from 340 degrees true at 7 knots.

According to the pilot, he was cleared to land on runway 33 and advised of approaching weather. During the approach, the airplane encountered heavy rain, moderate turbulence, strong crosswinds, and a “sudden downdraft and crosswind” that resulted in a “very hard” landing. The airplane became “unstable,” and began to bounce down the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and returned to land on runway 15. The airplane landed hard once again, and again bounced several times down the runway. During a turn on the runway, the pilot noted a flat nose tire and requested assistance for a tow. A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed a propeller strike and substantial damage to the firewall, as well as wrinkling of the lower fuselage. An aviation routine weather report for the airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 150 degrees true at 7 knots, and thunderstorms in the vicinity. The director of operations where the airplane was based on the airport, and one of the line service personnel who towed the airplane after the accident, confirmed that there had been a passing thunderstorm at the time of the accident. The pilot was not sure which of the hard landings resulted in the damage to the airplane.